Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

so that's the sum of your argument. :rolleyes:


You did not come here to debate did you

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

what is your evidence ?

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

I suspect the record national debt...

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Lets see yours.
Oh you don't have any do you? :rolleyes:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

:LOL:

Just look at the deficit for starters.
Look at monumental errors Brown has made over the last year or 2.
Look at the sale of gold at well below the market price.

Boom and bust gone away my arse

Its going to take this Government years to sort out Labours mismanagement of the economy, But hey Labour supporter still believe all the spin Labour have been spouting for the last year.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Labour landslide within 12 months?? Remember you heard it here first.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Dream on

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Only if they all go skiing, and then all fall over at the same time.;)

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

You are forgetting that many people enjoy pain. ;)

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Sadly, any Government that comes in after Labour has had its way with the country is like a dentist preparing to perform root canal treatment. Unpleasant but necessary. But then Labour has spent more than a decade feeding us sugary snacks.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Some of the noises coming from Whitehall are pretty ominous :(

The more that comes out shows just how deeply useless labour were but some will still claim they did a good job and should still be in charge.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

You wish.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Explains why they offered the Lib Dems nothing for a coalition. They really didn't want the responsibility.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

:rofl:

I think it is has seriously escaped your attention, either that or you are just plain ignorant - the majority of people don't want Labour in power, after 13 years they were utterly useless and after leading this country into financial chaos and even now we are learning more so since they were dumped by the British Electorate last week.

Now seriously, you and a few others seriously need to get over the fact that the useless Labour party, rightly lost the fight, the best two, now Tories and Lib dems, are in place to fix and tidy up Labour's mess and what a horrible mess that has been left.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Damn Liberal Tories, trying to reduce inequality in pay in the public services as well as introducing an Office for Budgetary Responsibility to introduce more checks and balances along with additional transparency on government spending.

One target for this is Ofcom, whose CEO is rather well compensated.

I am sure this is nothing at all to do with these parts of his biography as linked above:

If you wonder why Ofcom is described as the most New Labour of all their Quangos you don't need to look much past that.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Labour back in in twelve months ha ha ha ha ha ha more chance of snowballs in hell and defo after all the facts come out about everything they have done which we are nowhere near to finding out yet. They knew damn well they were going to lose and true to form spat out the dummy doing as much damage as they could before they were kicked out knowing that the more damage they did the more hurt anyone that follwed them was going to have to do and thus become hated more quickly. I totally despise what labour did and stood for for thirteen years and the only people i can see that would have undying loyalty to them are either daft or lying to provoke an argument on here and other places because if you cannot see the damage they did it is because you don't want to not because there isn't plenty of evidence of it.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Meanwhile, in a bid to improve transparency, strengthen democracy and save shedloads of cash by reducing government, LibCon plan to create 100 new peers.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

To be fair to them, they did announce this off the bat - the intention is to alter the composition of the Lords so it is broadly proportional with the recent election results. You can't, at the moment, simply sack peers for reasons of proportionality, so the only solution is to create (lots of) new ones.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

I'm alright with this if it is a step towards reforming the Lords to an elected chamber. If the idea is simply to create a majority so difficult legislation can be pushed through, it is just wrong and undemocratic, whatever the history of the Lords.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Labour left some useful info for the incoming Government.:rolleyes:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

There is always bound to be an aspect of majority-building - because of what the Lords currently is, it is simply unavoidable. Stuffing it with sympathetic life peers is just what you do. Labour has been at it for 13 years, which is why it currently has a Labour majority. It is an unfortunate business, but I think we can live with it as the end, apparently, is in sight.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

This time around adding peers to retain proportionality will only favour those who cooperate as a group, so all to the good IMHO.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

In other news, spending cuts haven't been made despite Tory/Libdems assurances they would make them, Labour laws haven't been repealed despite Tory/Libdems saying they would be, man hasn't gone to Mars, despite Obama saying man would...
...BBC continues to host anti-coalition articles on their website.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

:tu:

Now there's a place which deserves a few judicious cuts in their bloated budget....

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Apart from the six million pounds planned from public services.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Nice to see irony is lost on you Mandy.
Did you not notice that all of the things I'd mentioned (except the BBC comment) haven't happened yet because there hasn't been enough time to impliment them?

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

No, that'll be next week.

Don't you think name calling s a bit puerile?

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

You mean £6billion of course.... Well someone has to pay for all that New Labour profligacy or do you suggest UK PLC applies for bankruptcy and walks away from all its debts?....

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Amusing from someone who insists on calling the Prime Minister "Dave", and described him and by implication 10.6 million Tory voters :erm:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

It would be handy for you to consider some perspective and context. ;)

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Re spending plans, you appear to be confusing not spending money the country doesn't have (including on huge IT projects and management consultants) with £6 billion cuts in Public Services (but nice try at spinning, though).


https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...010/05/132.jpg

Less than 1% difference in spending plans (hattip to Guido Fawkes)

---------- Post added at 22:59 ---------- Previous post was at 22:58 ----------

It would be handy for you not to be so tribalist and spinny....;)

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Less than one per cent overall. Seeing as departments such as defence, health and overseas aid is supposedly ring-fenced (yeah, I won't be holding my breath on those), it is going to be considerably deeper and far more extensive elsewhere.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

... and someone who's so passionately against prejudice and stereotyping when it suits.. :confused:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

His name is "Dave" :confused:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

We all know cuts are going to be deep and painful and most of us know why thats the case the last labour government did what they always do they spent money they didn't have racking up debt and now it has got to be paid back and they have let as always someone else get power and have to do the dirty work. In this one respect i am sorry labour didn't get back in because they knew this issue had to be dealt with darling to his credit admitted that whoever got into power after the election was going to have to make cuts that would at least go as far as the thatcher cuts in the eighties and more then likely be worse then those cuts.

But i have no doubt at all that there are those so blinded that they would have excused labour and the damage it did for a handful of more promises of this and that whether they were ever delivered or not. Labour right before the election again was prepared to throw money around in a desperate attempt to bribe votes promising huge amounts of money for scotland, wales and NI even though they knew absolutely the country could not afford to do it thats how prudent GB was and how capable labour were in dealing with the economy everything you need to know about labour handling of the economy is right there to be seen by all.

Good riddance to bad rubbish and lets hope this time the memory of the electorate is better then normal and doesn't return the labour party to power anytime soon. However this coalition turns out they cannot be anywhere near as bad as labour was and i would bet good money that by the end of their tenure this country will be in a far better state then when labour left it, but they need time to do this and patience from the people of the UK.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

They played Brown's 3 envelope speach on the radio earlier.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

No - his name is Dave, or David.

He, like most people, does not have quotes around his Christian name - just like Gordon Brown (born James Gordon Brown), Tony Blair (born Anthony Blair), Ed Balls (christened Edward Balls), Ed Miliband (christened Edward Miliband), Jack Straw (christened John Whitaker Straw), Jim Murphy (christened James Murphy), Bob Ainsworth (christened Robert William Ainsworth), and Ben Bradshaw (christened Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw) don't have quotes around their Christian names. :)

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Anyone remember my posting about how Newcastle would vote for a vomit covered turd if it had a red rosette?

Well...

http://order-order.com/2010/05/18/anyone-for-bingo/

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north...2703-26445740/

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Maybe it can come from some of the last minute vote grabbing money thrown about in the last few months.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8690312.stm

:mad:

The sad thing is some people still think labour did a good job and would sort everything out with their magic bag of money if they did get back into power.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

There are differant rules depending on the mood :LOL:

---------- Post added at 17:28 ---------- Previous post was at 17:25 ----------

Normal Labour party rules of Electioneering

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Erk:


Quite right Alistair, how dare they blame Labour for the state of the economy, I mean, they've had a whole 7 days in office to sort it out. Time to take responsibility, eh? :rolleyes:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

What an utterly appalling indictment of the last so called 'government'. Institutionalised economic vandalism.. :mad:

Yup - makes you wonder what planet they live on doesn't it??.... :confused:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Blimey haven't any of you Tory voters moved on yet?? The election was over a week ago and you are all still bashing the previous government, add to that apart from Fly-boy there are no left of center voters even bothering to argue anymore.
Your all moaning in a vacuum with literally nobody to question the standard,"Labour are crap, poor old Tories" line anymore, and you guys like to accuse liberals of bashing Thatcher for all the worlds ills...holy krud you have taken Brown and Labour bashing through the stratosphere!!!

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

They get moist in the little boys department when they speak about the Tories. Leave them to it.

If ever there was a dinosaur here he is

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...010/05/130.jpg

The Prime Minister has announced the appointment of Norman Baker, MP for Lewes, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport.

Mr Baker was born in Aberdeen and raised in Hornchurch, attending the Royal Liberty School in Gidea Park, before going on to earn a BA degree in German from the University of London.

Prior to entering the House of Commons in 1997 he had a variety of jobs, including periods as an executive for Our Price Records and as an English teacher. He also served as a local councillor in East Sussex before becoming Leader of Lewes District Council in 1991.

In recent years Mr Baker has held a number of portfolios in the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet, including Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.
Responsibilities

* Regional and Local Transport
* Buses and Taxis - including concessionary fares
* Walking and Cycling
* Accessibility and Equalities
* Alternatives to travel

Liberals hate all things Cars or Planes..the only thing they do like is Trains.

If ever a dinosaur got power this is one.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

He's an under-secretary. He doesn't have the full transport portfolio else he'd be the Secretary of State. Next.

---------- Post added at 08:35 ---------- Previous post was at 08:27 ----------

Left of centre and Liberal are different things. It's perfectly possible to be economically Conservative while socially liberal.

You're confusing liberalism with socialism. Given that Labour pursued an authoritarian socialist line can hardly describe a Labour voter as being liberal due to that vote. Expansion of the state, centralisation of powers and erosion of civil liberties doesn't strike me as being liberal, quite the opposite.

Given us 'Tory voters' (I along with a number of others voted Lib Dem but let's not facts interrupt the stereotypical bashing of the right) along with others are going to be suffering the pain for the now well reported economic abuse of the country by the left of centre for political and ideological reasons I'd say a good dose of catharsis is in order.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Are they creating jobs for the boys??

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Nope.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

No. Do have a read of the information on the Department for Transport both from Wikipedia and the DFT's own site. They aren't just randomly creating Under-Secretaries, you can get some idea of lineage though from the above information.

A better response would perhaps have been 'Ooops ok I see he's the Under-Secretary for one part of the transport infrastructures while there is another Under-Secretary whose portfolio is solely roads and highways.'

EDIT: Thought for the day - the average private sector HR manager makes 48k, the average charity sector HR manager makes 40k. The average public sector HR manager is worth 50k. This is purely salary and ignores benefits, pensions, etc.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

I'm already fed up with Clegg. Can we have another election please?

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

No thanks, I'm loving the liberal and tempering edge he and his party have brought to the government, along with the tempering effect the Conservatives have on the more left-wing aspects of Lib Dem policy.

Out of interest do you pay top rate tax, a fair whack of it, and are you liable for capital gains?

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

To be honest, despite your rather colourful rhetoric, I would have thought that honouring the commitments to her constituents was more important, don't you think?

What is there to object about that?

You wouldn't be getting a bit tribal with your politics, now would you. ;)

---------- Post added at 14:14 ---------- Previous post was at 14:07 ----------

Hmm, but apart from some much needed regeneration funding for Blackpool and some civil servants' bonuses (which, as I am led to believe, was contractual), no real examples of these spending decisions seem to be very forthcoming.

Don't all governments do this when they first take power?

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Nice try but no, I wouldn't regarding playing bingo instead of being sworn in and participating in parliament as being 'honouring the commitments to her constituents', I would regard it as trying to avoid doing her job as an MP, which necessarily involves things like being at Parliament to be sworn in and to attend the speaker's election, by going and playing bingo which she will have plenty of her own time unoccupied by parliamentary business to do in the future.

Playing bingo is hardly 'getting the best for the region'. To get the best for the region she needs to actually be at Westminster putting the case forward for that region, not ticking numbers off a bingo card.

I would have given the same comment regardless of which party the MP came from. To suggest being too busy to attend parliament on account of promising to play a game with constituents is ridiculous. If it were serious constituency business I would give it more credence.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

The game of bingo was not for her own enjoyment, but for her to be able to get to know her constituencies a bit better. Rather than making several trips to London and back, paid for by the taxpayer, I would have thought that even you would applaud that. You seem to be getting a bit desperate in finding things to criticise the Labour MPs about. I would have thought that you would have led with Labour MP Suspended After Expenses Charge

Or even the fourth homes scandal afforded to leading Conservative ministers. Now I know that they are traditionally allowed such favours, but when Cameron screamed about the excesses of governments, don't you think that it is a bit rich, now that they are in power?

So you mean, when you said:

You really meant that they would vote for anybody in a rosette, did you?



*Awaits patiently for next excuse.*

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Wow flyboy, either you genuinely missed the point, or you've deliberately missed it.
One would think that an MP would know when they were due to be in Parlment for important matters such as being sworn in, and voting for the speaker, and therefore be able to arrange their agendas better.
It's shocking that she hasn't taken her job seriously enough to know these things.

Interesting that you fixate on "vomit covered turd if it had a red rosette" rather than the comments made about the MP.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Why would I do that? I posted the story purely because I came across it on Guido's blog. Nice try at making out I go out of my way to dig up dirt, and I am sorry to disappoint.

You'll excuse me if I don't regard going back to a group of constituents, already met during the campaign, to play bingo as being urgent business for a new MP. Interesting that you know better than her why she was doing it though, you must've asked her, given that she had already met them but didn't have time to play bingo with them it sounds like the bingo was a motivation given I'm sure there would have been ample opportunities to meet them not involving a bingo night.

She seems to quite enjoy her bingo too.

Yes I would expect her to go backwards and forwards as her duties may require - that's her job. MPs receive allowances for a second home to make the commons more accesible for a reason, it's not for it to be a guest home when they aren't doing more pressing things like playing bingo.

Nice try but at least some of these grace and favours are owned by trusts and they cannot be sold off or used for any other purpose. They have to be maintained anyway so they are either used or they sit doing nothing.

It's actually good for the economy that these leading ministers take this 'scandalous' benefit - they pay income tax on it. This tax liability is why David Milliband didn't reside in his grace and favour, Carlton Gardens, and Jacqui Smith while Home Secretary didn't take up an official residence so that she could save income tax and, of course, describe her family home as her second home for expenses purposes.

Again - nice try but I commented specifically on Newcastle. What my pointing out the obvious fact that Newcastle would vote for a vomit covered turd if it were standing for Labour has to do with being tribal in any way is completely beyond me - I was talking to someone from Newcastle who wanted to vote Labour and couldn't explain why, a quick check showed it to be staunchly Labour with no real evidence of why the Labour candidates were so superior.

There are several areas that would vote a corpse as a Tory MP, in this case however I was discussing Newcastle, where they are Labour.

There is nothing tribal about being truthful I'm sorry to say. Ignoring that detail it's all about the context. It's that thing you love to take people's words out of to prove your point.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

These excuses are all well and good, but they do not detract from the fact that you viewed Guido Fawkes's website; for what? The only reason to do so would be to find some dirt on an MP, particulalry a Labour one, seeing as it their raison d'être. Did he not report on Eric Illsley? Did he mention minister's fourth homes?

---------- Post added at 15:24 ---------- Previous post was at 15:22 ----------

Now, seeing that you commented on both aspects of this, don't think that your remarks are a bit self defeating?;)

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Erm, I read Guido Fawkes, Iain Dale, Dizzy Thinks, Liberal Conspiracy, Rachel North London, LabourHome, MailWatch, Anna Raccoon, and many others - they provide different viewpoints on different things.

Or should we only read things that reinforce our current views, rather than those that may challenge them? :D

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Perhaps I'm using too many long words for you as once again you miss the point.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Okay then, show me where I fixated on "vomit covered turd if it had a red rosette" rather than the comments made about the MP" more than I did about the Newcastle MP's absence from the house of commons.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Sorry matey but I'm not a Tory, never have been and didn't even vote for them but don't let those facts prick your little bubble.

As you say it's only a week since New Labour left the building they'd lived in for 13 years so with all due respect I think you can expect plenty more quite legitimate carping about what they've done and for very good reason. New Labour were very keen on blaming the previous administration years after they'd lost power so presumably they won't be complaining when they discover that what goes around comes around....

---------- Post added at 16:13 ---------- Previous post was at 16:12 ----------

:shocked::shocked::shocked: :rolleyes:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

OK So you can't disagree with what I said. Didn't think so.

This is a new experience for me, I've never been told why I read something before.

If we're discussing Guido and your accusation that he purely digs dirt on Labour MPs just a very quick scroll down to this, a nice juicy story on a Tory Secretary of State and this directly conflicting with likely ConLib coalition policy just from the front page without looking further would appear to disagree.

I read that, amongst many other things. Reading widely gives a more balanced view of things allowing a more informed opinion I find.

Just for your information I've raised concerns over said Tory Secretary of State's ability to be unbiased over the decision in question with my MP.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Sorry Froggie but till we know the full scale of the calamity labour have left the country in you can expect many more anti labour comments and probably threads although i know it must be painful reading for the party faithful :).

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Home Information Packs - suspended from today - I am liking this new government already!!! They are keeping the energy efficiency certificates though which can only be a good thing.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Bus...ded_From_Today

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

New Labour's anti-recession policies now coming good LINK
A nice little helping hand for the, soon to be seen as incompetent, coalition. ;)

Edit: --------------------------------------------------------
More investment paying off LINK
Beginning to look like Gordon was right and the media was wrong, again....

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

With HIPs now being suspended, what about the thousands now being made unemployed?

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

The story seems to disagree with your assessment slowcoach.

Ignoring that inflation is so out of control the ONS reports the biggest loss of spending power since records began, this refers to real inflation, Retail Price Index, rather than whatever figure Labour massaged into pretending to be inflation. This would, just maybe, have something to do with the introuction of 200bn pounds into the economy through quantitative easing.

There's also the minor issue that jobs continue to go.

Yes I'm sure it mitigated some of the impact, at a really obscene cost, and we couldn't even follow Labour's intended policies in full due to not having the money.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Surely they can't all become window cleaners, our lane is full of people who became window cleaners under the last Tory regime. :dozey:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Gordon wanted to part-privatise it last year, you loon, what are you talking about? :)

---------- Post added at 12:17 ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 ----------

A real shame. Good change of post on your part from accusing him of rejoicing in their unemployment.

These according to the story wasted a billion pounds of people's money and slowed fluidity in the housing market. Employing people whatever the cost to economy and prosperity is not the way to run things and never will be.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

My win I think....

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

My utter confusion. Part-privatisation was shelved due to protests from the unions and the political impact of such not because of Labour's financial acumen?

What does this prove about Labour's economic policies? Again even the story itself mentions the results as being good inspite of the economic climate, nothing at all to do with any political policy or government investment, it mentions it as relating to efficiency and modernisation?

Is your plan to post that any company that shows any kind of reasonable financial results, even when the stories discussing the results specifically mention these being due to things like cost cutting, process improvements, etc, are due to Labour's economic policies?

If that is the plan you really have no faith in the private sector at all, you old socialist you ;)

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

It'd be nice if you could enlighten us as to the other examples you allude to please. With all these 'successes' under his belt I'm kind of wondering why Brown's not still PM or even leader of New Labour... :confused: :rolleyes:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Slowcoach, you do realise the investment was a £1.2 billion commercial loan, that the Post Office have to pay back?

Also, you forgot to mention the 2500 Post Offices closed in the last three years of the New Labour Government. ;)

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

:erm: .... yeah but at least New Labour didn't make thousands of people unemployed.... :rolleyes:

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

too late to vote but I will go for hooray.

these 2 working together I feel will stop too many radical things happening although in the published policy list I still see a few things that worry but defenitly less than if the tories were in sole charge.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

FYI: Here's the full coalition agreement policy analysis.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

I give it a B- I think. Mostly good, some bad and the occasional terrible

One of the best and least publicised bits:

Excellent news. Just wish it would apply to sexual assaults too.

And the worst:

I'm sure everyone will be honest and noone would pretend to be gay once they arrive.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Easy enough to test in the case of the men :)

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

The thing is, the fact that there is money in the system which can be earned by these companies to produce increased profits during a World recession is due entirely to money being pumped into the system by the Government and the BOE. The media slammed GB for borrowing but you only have to look to America to see what happened in areas where the local steel works closed down or in parts of Detroit as the motor industry went into recession, whole areas are now completely empty of people with property falling down, we haven't suffered anything like that.

As far as Royal Mail goes, time was when each day I used to go to the post box with a carrier bag full of floppy disks containing applications for customers, many a time I had to wait for the postman emptying the box as it was already overflowing with mail when I got there, now on the rare occasion that I post a letter I hear it drop to the bottom of the box, obviously RM had to make changes, times change for all of us and we all have to expect that things cannot carry on as before, but hey, I find change exciting although it appears most people are afraid of change which I feel is quite sad.

I remember before privatisation of the utility companies when utility bills were very modest, I think privatisation was just a rip-off.

---------- Post added at 20:36 ---------- Previous post was at 20:33 ----------

I can only speak for myself and the area I live in, under Thatcher we got bugger all in the way of government money as the Tory's flooded London and the South East with the stuff, under Labour you can see the difference as money from the Government and Europe has been spent here to help a deprived area become less deprived, all we want is our fair share after all we pay tax the same as everyone else and although a house may cost more in London and the South East a loaf of bread costs us just the same.

It's simple really, people swallow everything the media throws at them and the media wanted a change, for some reason best known to themselves they wanted the Tory's in power which is why they promoted the Lib-Dem's hoping that floating Labour voters would be more likely to vote for them than to vote Tory, now we see them sniping the Lib-Dem's at every opportunity presumably hoping to derail the coalition and give the Tory's another chance to get an overall majority sooner rather than later.

---------- Post added at 20:40 ---------- Previous post was at 20:36 ----------

I would assume that the commercial loan was more political than anything else to avoid too much noise coming from it's competitors.

Post Offices and Sub Post Offices need to get into the 21st century, most I have been in do not try very hard to earn extra revenue, they all tend to have a rack of tiny birthday cards costing many times more than you pay elsewhere, the price they charge for a jiffy bag or a cardboard box is just extortion and as a result the only people to buy anything are the totally stupid or totally desperate. The main thing that people need a Post Office for round here is to draw their benefits, the Post Office has the opportunity to have first crack selling them something but they stock nothing that those people need, a really big missed opportunity.

By the way, our Sub post Office was closed which was probably a good thing, on benefit day he would have his side of the counter covered with a multitude of scratch cards, handing the benefit cash out with one hand and taking it back with the other, I only ever saw one person win, he won a whole Pound which he promptly used to buy yet another losing card.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

So you agree the "profit" is actually false, not from earnt income but from money lent by the government.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Their revenue dropped. Profit increase was due to cost savings and efficiency, absolutely nothing to do with government investment.

Bad example regarding Detroit, etc, the US have had a big stimulus package, far more complete than ours.

Brown's policies largely consisted of increasing spending in the public sector, the main stimulus to the private sector being a 2.5% VAT cut and the scrappage scheme, both of which were a good thing I might add.

So what are you trying to say? You're making absolutely no sense giving the previous government all the credit for the Royal Mail's increased profits and ignoring their plans to part-privatise the Royal Mail.

I'm completely lost, you seem to be picking on random things and claiming they are the result of government policy which they very simply aren't, government policy doesn't make companies more efficient it tends to make them less efficient if anything and as mentioned demand for Royal Mail services continues to go down.

London and the South East more than pay for themselves actually. They subsidise various other parts of the rest of the country according to the gross value add statistics. The North East especially is horrifically reliant on funding from London and the South East. This isn't actually a good thing!

You really don't get it. While Labour were happily employing people in the public sector in various parts of the country and making them more dependent on the state they should have been stimulating the private sector there so that the economies became self-sufficient and didn't need subsidy from London and the South East. As it is when the cuts to the public sector start to bite they'll hurt areas like yours the most because instead of trying to get the areas to stand on their own and stimulate the economies they were being fed and became reliant on the public purse. You'll happily blame the current government for this no doubt but very simply the plans of the previous one weren't sustainable and a lot of that case would have had to be withdrawn either way.

That entire paragraph reeks of anti-Tory and pro-Labour, I just can't say I've noticed what you describe and it strikes me as far more of an attempt to undermine the current coalition than anything I've heard from Tories trying to undermine the Lib Dems. Most sensible and moderate people I know are quite enthusiastic about the coalition for the precise reason the Lib Dems moderate some of the less palatable policies the far-right of the Tory party would want to push through and are much less authoritarian. I've no doubt those on the far-right would feel like that but for myself it's not really crossed my mind. I can't say I'm overjoyed at the prospect of paying more taxes but if it improves people's lot in life and is good for the economy I'm fine with it - healthier economy equals more wealth for all of us. I probably pay less than my fair share compared with some anyway.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Which is why Brown was so keen to 'encourage the risk takers' in the City of London (who were stumping up £billions in tax every year to fund his profligacy) that he doled out gongs to so many of them and so crucially took his eye off the ball.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.g...ress_56_04.htm

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

The moving of government departments out of London to areas of high unemployment was just a token gesture, very welcome but nowhere near enough to redress the balance.

It isn't just our taxes which end up in London, most large companies have their head office and consequently their bank accounts in the City so every time we pay for insurance, go to Tesco, book a flight etc. etc. all the money ends up going down a one way street to London. Once all the money arrives it needs an army of very well paid people to do with what has to be done, these people then spend their earnings in their locale to the benefit of everyone there, no wonder then that the Government has to redistribute some of the money back seeing as these same companies are paying the people who collect the money for them in other parts of the country a pittance by comparison.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

slowcoach, I think you may find that all those transactions you mention are automatically processed by computers, and most big bank/supermarket data centres are spread throughout the country.

The money doesn't go to London - it's all bits and bytes, not big bundles of notes. ;)

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The next time you are in London pop into Jack Barclay's and then tell me that the money doesn't end up in London. :mad:

Cash is King... ;)

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Well, we have the following showrooms in Leeds
Bentley
Rolls Royce
Aston Martin
Ferrari
Maserati
Porsche

(as well as the standard BMW, Mercedes, Audi, et al)

Anyhoo, under the cash laundering rules, do you actually believe that a garage would accept a couple of hundred thousand pounds in cash for a car?

So I really don't understand your point :confused:

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What???.. You mean people north of London actually have cars and don't have to walk everywhere in rags and bare feet???... I really thought all the wealth of the UK was spent here.... :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:

:rolleyes:

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Anyone else fed up with this ConDem party ?

Let's all jump on the Milibandwagon :D

Just kidding folks.

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Since when did car boot sales keyring stalls constitute "showrooms"? ;)

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It's a start.

It's grim oop north, but it's carp dahn sarf! ;)

As I was saying to a southern colleague the other day, when he was indulging in some banter about whippets, black pudding, ecky thump, etc - "what's your house worth now?". :D

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Actually it's the lack of open spaces and being able to find somewhere nice and quiet where you aren't having your ears ripped off by someone's stereo,BBQ party,mowing the lawn,car exhaust fumes

Some days it's hard to breathe round here or even think.At least oop north you have some terrific open spaces where you can get away from everyone...

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In my case, my house is worth considerably more than my cousin's (she lives on the border of North Wales), despite my cousin's being considerably larger.

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Yeah, but I bet your cousin didn't have her car tire slashed by someone who picked the wrong house? ;)

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There's the odd oasis here and there like that. I'm fortunate that there's a number of open spaces here for our use, this is the closest one, this beauty is close and Kew Gardens is in close proximity also. :)

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It's the old "cost " versus "value" equation - it's not what it costs, it's what it costs to move up the ladder, and the value-add of the environment (leafy suburb, good transport links, only 20 minutes to work, etc etc).

I was only joking about the south vs north - I have lived and worked in both areas, and both have good and bad points (I loved living near Alton in Hampshire, and was looking to live near the New Forest if I had stayed down there).

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You amaze me, in all my life I have never seen an advertisement that made me want to go and shop in Leeds, in the past I have been persuaded to shop in Sheffield and other places in Yorkshire but Leeds was a place I skirted on route to shop somewhere else, Leeds never came across as a shopping venue to me for some reason, weird.

It's nice to know that a Northerner could buy a new prestige car whilst keeping the money “Up North� even though I think that buying an expensive car is like having your hat nailed on, the word “Victim� comes to mind.

Personally I am more than satisfied with my 'Local Link' taxi service, 6.30AM – 10PM six days a week, 2½ miles 80p one way or £1.20p return, more suiting to my nature of being a tight old git. ;)

---------- Post added at 07:35 ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 ----------

Time was when people could work all week and then get away from it all by going out on Sunday for a drive over the 'Tops', but these days, despite many families having two or three cars, the running costs together with their other debts conspire to make the use of the car limited to travelling to and from work. All very sad really.

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Clegg is still going on about the constituency boundaries to change to equal sizes so its obviously something that will happen.

Are they going to make them smaller or bigger?

I can't see how anyone but Labour will win out of this. Or if that is supposed to be the point.

I.e. if they make the boundaries bigger than the inner cities will bleed into the suburbs. I have that problem now. I'm in a safe Tory seat because we are mostly Tories and vote that way. However my council district includes 2 major inner city areas with very high multi-cultural populations. So my council is always Labour.

Or if the boundaries are made smaller then this will mean much more seats in the inner cities which again will give Labour a bigger advantage in the cities.

I don't see what's wrong with grouping people with similar attritubutes and outlooks rather than size.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

Changing them to equal sizes. There's also the plan to reduce Parliament from 650 to 500 MPs.

So to answer your question if adjusted to 500 MPs across the UK constituencies will be required to get bigger.

Gerrymandering constituencies to group people with similar attributes and outlooks together kinda makes elections pointless, don't you think?

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Agree. This is what makes voting pretty pointless for most of the UK as they live in "safe" Tory or Labour seats.

Re: [Update] The Liberal-Conservative Coalition
 

is a shame its AV thats proposed instead of AV+ or STV, as the latter 2 would have been real reform scrapping safe seats.